Convivio
45 Tudor City Place, New York, NY
Finally, a place at the top of our hit-list that actually lives up to the hype. Convivio is legit…who cares if it feels a little like eating in the lobby of an ultra-modern hotel? On first look, this doesn’t seem like an obvious Infatuation favorite. First of all, it’s in Tudor City, and second, this isn’t exactly our kind of crowd. I was definitely the only one in there rocking jeans and sneakers. But the after-work suits all seemed to be enjoying themselves, creating a nice buzz in a restaurant that we assumed would be a bit on the stuffy side.
As for the food, the $62, four course tasting menu is a steal. This is first class dining at an affordable price. While the antipasta and main courses are solid, the pasta is the main event, and the reason you need to immediately make a reservation. It’s so good that we would like to formally petition for a full pasta tasting menu a la Convivio’s sister restaurant Marea.
Service is low key, but incredibly informative. Our waiter knew every dish inside and out, and was pleasant but not overbearing. Almost everything we ate met or exceeded expectation, and we had a good time. We will say though, those Tudor City suits must be on a tight leash. The place was completely empty by 10pm. So while Convivio does have an excellent Outdoor/Patio Situation, perfect for a Special Occasion, don’t expect things to get too wild.
Food Rundown:
Brussels SproutsThe “Sfizi” section of the menu is made up of snack-sized plates of roasted sunchokes, saffron risotto croquettes, and spicy salame. It’s not part of the tasting menu, but is definitely something to pay attention to. Our first round of drinks tasted even better with some brussels sprouts, which came in an excellent vinaigrette with pancetta, and set the tone for the rest of the meal.
Grilled QuailIf you overcook quail ever so slightly, it can come out dry and bland (which we learned at Colicchio & Sons). This one was spot on. Tender, juicy and accompanied by a strong supporting cast of pancetta, radicchio, apples and mushroom. This was one of the better grilled quail dishes we’ve ever had, and we highly recommend checking it out.
Sliced YellowtailWe wanted to get down with a fish antipasti, and our waiter led us to the promised land. This buttery raw white fish was topped with a mix of pistachios and scallions in an olive puree. Every bite was absolutely incredible.
MalloreddusAfter an excellent round of appetizers it was time for the main event: pasta. Our waiter happily broke down just about every single pasta dish on the menu, and we came to the conclusion that I needed to get the Malloreddus. One of their signature pastas, this is a saffron gnocchetti with crab and sea urchin. Words can’t really describe how good this, and all the pasta is at Convivio. You’re just going to have to go and try for yourself. We hear good things about both the fusilli with pork shoulder ragu and the squid ink pappardelle. Put them on your list.
CaramelleRavioli filled with braised oxtail, escarole and pecorino. There wasn’t a chance in hell we were passing this one up. A glorious combination of a well crafted, and perfectly cooked pasta filled with slow cooked oxtail that tasted like the best short rib meat you’ve ever had. We could have easily taken down three orders of this.
Lamb ChopsThe pasta course is tough act to follow. I definitely enjoyed the salsa verde coated lamb chops, but couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that all I wanted was more pasta.
Strip SteakA massive, bone-in, Creekstone Farms strip steak, and it’s a $6 supplement to the prix fixe. For good reason. This is huge compared to the other entrees. The steak itself was extremely flavorful, but was missing that little something extra to make it special. More pasta please.
Fried CauliflowerSomehow, this kind of tasted like popcorn. Awesome.
DessertThe torta looked like something straight out off of Giada’s show, sans TV’s best cleavage. The almond cake with mascarpone cream and sour cherry gelato hit the spot. The bomboloni was solid too, although doughnuts are getting a little played out these days.
